Eshta’ol

Amir Golani and Dan Storchan

01/01/2009

Preliminary Report

During June–July 2008, a salvage excavation was conducted along the western side of Highway 38 and north of the Eshta’ol junction (Permit No. A-5458; map ref. 251383/631928; OIG 151383/131928; Fig. 1). The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and funded by the Public Works Bureau, was directed by A.Golani and D. Storchan, with the assistance of Y. Lender and Y. Ohayon (administration), M. Kunin and A. Hajian (surveying), T. Sagiv (field photography), O. Ackerman (geomorphology), A. Nagorsky (district archeologist) and P. Betzer (district archaeological inspector).

The site is located on the western bank of Nahal Eshta’ol, near its junction with Nahal Kesalon. Previous salvage excavations along the western side of Highway 38, had exposed portions of the site, revealing settlement remains of Early Bronze Age IB and the Intermediate Bronze Age (HA-ESI 120).

The present excavation (Area F; Fig. 2), adjacent to and northeast of Area E, appears to represent a continuation of the Intermediate Bronze Age (henceforth IBA) settlement. It included architectural remains along with ceramic and flint material. Although not found in situ, ceramic and flint artifacts of the Early Bronze period (henceforth EB) were also found. Three distinct occupational strata of the IBA were identified (Strata IV–II) and Stratum II was found to have two building phases.

Stratum IV

The earliest architectural remains were exposed only in a limited area (Sq E2) and included two walls (W218 and W219) that were separated by a meter-wide gap, interpreted as an entranceway that was later blocked by W212 in Stratum III (Fig. 3). A beaten-earth surface (L62) associated with the base of these walls was found to their south and included a large flat stone with a hewn circular cup.

Stratum III

The architectural remains of this stratum comprised two structures of unclear plan.

Building 1. This structure is scantly defined by a few wall remains. The structure is enclosed to the south by W203/W209 and to the north by the reused W218 of Stratum IV. A large boulder that abutted the western end of W203 may indicate an additional wall, which possibly continued northward to join W218. A line of flat-topped stones and W212, which formed a corner with W218, may indicate an eastern division of Building 1. The eastern side of this area, although not clearly demarcated by a wall and its specific nature could not be determined with any certainty, suggests that the flat-topped stones functioned as pillar bases, supporting a roofed space further to the east.

An entranceway in W203 (Fig. 4) was built of two large stone jambs, an adjoining stone threshold and a door socket, indicating the entry was from the south. East of the entranceway and adjacent to the supposed continuation of W203, a roughly circular built stone installation was revealed. Several beaten-earth surfaces, one of which was integrated around a bedrock outcrop, were found within the area circumscribed by Building 1. These surfaces contained a limited amount of ceramic material that may be associated with the IBA.

To the south and parallel to Building 1, another wall (W216) may indicate an alleyway or a side room. Further east, a beaten-earth surface upon bedrock was found strewn with numerous smashed store jars (Fig. 5). The surface, associated with Building 1, was observed to run underneath architectural elements of Stratum II.

Building 3. To the north of Building 1, partial remains of another building were revealed, consisting of a corner formed by two roughly built stone walls (W214, W215). Beaten-earth surfaces outside the structure revealed both IBA and EB ceramics.

Stratum II

Architectural remains associated with this stratum were identified primarily in the southern portion of the excavated area, where two building phases (A and B) were defined. A large stone clearance heap that had covered the remains of both Strata IV and III was discovered in the north of the area. This stone pile was attributed to Stratum II, as its stones were found to directly overlay surfaces associated with Stratum III. This fact, in addition to the observation that architectural remains of Stratum II were not found in this area, posits the association of the stone heap with Stratum II as likely, although not certain.

Building 2

Phase A. The remains of Building 2 were composed of at least three separate rooms (Rooms 1–3) arranged in a row. The walls of this structure were founded upon an artificial fill of small stones that contained IBA ceramics.

Phase B. In the later phase, Building 2 continued to function along with several architectural additions to its north and west. Both building phases of Stratum II could have been contemporaneous with those associated with Stratum III, although the exact nature of any possible coexistence is not completely clear. During Phase B, two walls (W201, W202; Fig. 6) that formed a corner were constructed and appear to have joined Building 1 to Building 2. The inner corner of W201 and W202 was strengthened by a fill of stones that created a raised platform, built directly upon a stone fill that covered the Stratum III surface. Further additions to the construction of Phase B were found to the west of Building 2 (Sq A1).

Stratum I

A single wall (W217), badly damaged by modern construction, was exposed at the southern end of the excavation (Sq A1). It could not be associated with any of the other strata, yet it clearly post-dated Stratum II. Lack of any associated floors prevented its dating.

The present excavation revealed remains of the IBA period and is an extension of the IBA occupation that had previously been exposed in Areas C and E to the south. The results from these two excavation areas along with the remains uncovered in Area F imply that the IBA site had possibly existed in a wide and elongated strip along the western bank of Nahal Eshta’ol. The lack of in situ settlement remains of the EB period in Area F also serves to define the extent of the EB site, so far identified in the excavation of Areas A, B and D. The general lack of excavated settlements from the IBA period in the Judean Shefelah highlights the importance of this site in the understanding of this period.